Tropical Moored Buoy Implementation Panel (TIP) Major results, milestones, and plans

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Tropical Moored Buoy Implementation Panel
(TIP)Major results, milestones, and plans

• Prepared for CLIVAR as Input to the 27th Session
  of Joint Scientific Committee of the WCRP
  (JSC-XXVII)
• M. J. McPhaden, TIP Chairman
• 13 February 2005

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Tropical Moored Buoy Implementation Panel (TIP)
Major results, milestones, and plansEvolving
La Niña Conditions
La Niña conditions developed in late 2005-early
2006.

• Evolution tracked daily in real-time with
  TAO/TRITON data.
• Not well predicted Presently in mid-November
  the potential for maintaining neutral SST
  conditions through the Dec-Jan-Feb period is
  virtually certain. There is a less than a 1
  probability for both El Niño and La Niña SST
  conditions.
• --IRI, 16 Nov 2005

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Tropical Moored Buoy Implementation Panel
(TIP)Major results, milestones, and
plansIndian Ocean Moored Buoy Array

• TIP participated in development of Indian Ocean
  moored buoy array plan with CLIVAR/GOOS IOP.
• Sustained multi-national effort envisioned in
  support of monsoon research and prediction.
• Current status and plans at right grand plan
  below

• Two process studies of intraseasonal variability
  are planned for Oct-Dec 2006 (MISMO, Japan) near
  the equator 80-90E and another in Jan-Feb 2007
  (CIRENE, France) between 3-10S,55-80E.

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Tropical Moored Buoy Implementation Panel
(TIP)Major results, milestones, and plansPilot
Research Moored Array in the Tropical Atlantic
(PIRATA)

• 3 buoys of SW Extension were deployed in August
  2005 (Brazil).
• 1 buoy of SE Extension will be deployed in June
  2006 at 6S, 8E (South Africa) .
• 2 buoys of NE Extension will be deployed in July
  2006 at 4N and 11.5N, 23W (NOAA) 2 more will
  be deployed in 2007.

Brazil, France and U.S. would like to continue
PIRATA as permanent component of GOOS. The PIRATA
SSC is preparing a background document for review
by CLIVAR SSG and OOPC (April 2006) to assess
past performance and the likelihood of future
contributions to research, operational analyses
and forecasting.
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Tropical Moored Buoy Implementation Panel
(TIP)Major results, milestones, and plansData
and information management

• Switch to multi-satellite status by Service Argos
  and increase in ATLAS data transmissions from 8
  hr to 16 hr per day results in increased GTS
  surface meteorological data by a factor of 4-5 in
  2005.

• JAMSTEC introduced a new data processing system
  in 2005
• TRITON salinity, shortwave radiation, and
  velocity data are publicly available via the WWW.
• High resolution (hourly) TRITON data now
  available via the WWW.
• PMEL in collaboration with JAMSTEC developed a
  web-based data display and distribution system
  similar to existing TAO/TRITON and data systems
  for the new tropical Indian Ocean moored buoy
  array

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Tropical Moored Buoy Implementation Panel
(TIP)Major results, milestones, and plansNew
NOAA Budget Initiative Funded

• In FY 2006, NOAA received an increase in climate
  observations base funds to expand tropical moored
  buoy activities. These funds will be used for
  the following purposes
• Accelerate development of Indian Ocean moored
  buoy array.
• Add surface salinity sensors to all TAO moorings
  in the Pacific to improve definition of salinity
  variability, improve seasonal-interannual
  forecasting, and provide data for satellite
  validation (SMOS/Aquarius).
• Upgrade for 4 TAO and 3 PIRATA moorings to
  OceanSITES reference station standards for
  improved surface flux measurements.
• Provide 4 additional buoys for the PIRATA array
  in the hurricane-genesis region of the tropical
  North Atlantic Ocean for improved understanding
  of ocean-atmosphere interactions on hurricane
  development (NE Extension moorings).
• Support technological development of the next
  generation of moored buoys.

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Tropical Moored Buoy Implementation Panel
(TIP)Major results, milestones, and plansNew
JAMSTEC Budget Initiative Funded

• JAMSTEC received a new 5-year budget starting in
  Japanese FY2005 for promoting the Indian Ocean
  mooring array as a part of "JEPP Japan EOS
  (Earth Observation System) Promotion Program"
  which is a new program of Japanese government
  related GEOSS. JEPP will enable the development
  of new small size TRITON buoy and the
  continuation of the present TRITON sites in the
  Indian Ocean.

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Tropical Moored Buoy Implementation Panel (TIP)
Major results, milestones, and plansTAO
Transition

• The transfer of TAO operations from NOAA/PMEL to
  NOAA/National Data Buoy Center is in its second
  year of a three year scheduled transition.
• As of 1 Jan 2006, NDBC maintains the official TAO
  web site for data display and distribution.
• Beginning in 2007, NDBC will be responsible for
  all field work.
• There has been no break in continuity of the data
  stream and the process so far has been
  transparent to TAO data users.